“Huh!? Who´s there?...MARIA!? But how...”

I subconsciously hid behind the corner towards the stairs and observe the situation, as Maria´s father screamed in surprise.

“Father, what are you doing to Mom? Mommy are you alright...Mommy!?”

Maria is running to Arla, who is currently lying limp at the ground. Whilst her father holds tightly on to a paperweight.

Damn I think Arla is even bleeding. This situation screams for my intervention.

“Ahh, this is...but you, you should be ill and on the verge of death?! Why are you here?”

the landlord seems a bit confused, but who knows what he will do next. I will show my self now. 

“Haha, well this makes things easy. I will fulfill my contract now and here, who would have guessed that the pray actually willingly offers itself to me.”

But before I could exert myself to the landlord another voice, a ghostly and horrifying one echoed through out the office and spreads into the corridor, becoming even more gruesome.

With a small wind a person manifests before the kneeing Maria and her mother. He wears the same robes as the two Shadens from before.

Shit, he´s an assassin as well... Ahh crap

“Hold it there you imbecile! How dare you harm a little girl, have you no self esteem?.

And you, father of her´s, are you deaf and blind!? An assassin is about to harm your family. Will you not interfere? If not dont blame me for doing so myself.”

I howl out of my corner and with an imposing swing of my staff I create a small thunder noise, whilst ramming it into the ground.

In great surprise both, the landlord and the assassin turn around. And shockingly discover my appearance.

“Who are you?”

With slow words the assassin speaks to me, trying threatening me with his gruesome ghostly voice.

“That is none of your concern, but more of it are your further actions. I dare you take one step more towards that girl or women and I guarantee you a fast end!”

I hope he will take my bluff, otherwise I would risk a heavy injure. That mana from the girl is still circling in my body...

What a bad timing to run now in this conflict.

“Hahaha, strong words for such an old man like you. But don´t be deluded, do you think you can harm me..?!”

With a move of his hand, he removes a mask from his face, showing me his ugly and horrifying true self.

An ethereal glowing, greenish face and thin to the bones. His facial context is not more, but that of a dead man or a ghost and his eyes, a blazing aura of darkness is engraved deeply into them. Pitch black and perfectly carved holes.

“Don´t be deluded yourself, do you think that I have no ways of sending a small Schaden like yours to his befitting end? Don´t make me laugh.”

I response to his threat, by creating a small orange-white glowing orb in my right hand. And holding it right up. The consequence, a spreading and warmth emitting light. It spreads and fills the room in its composure.

“Haha, it seems I´ve underestimated you. You have some knowledge old man, I must admit that.

But its unfortunate for you, just this level of light magic will not do much. Meet your maker.”

“NO!”

It was too late, I rush forwards to intercept the attack. But the assassin ignored my light magic and was a lot faster than I thought. With a single blow he thrusts a small object, a dagger, at Maria.

“WHAT!?”

~Boom~

A sudden flash blows the Assassin into a nearby wall, leaving a deep crack.

This girl...

I finally see what happened.

Maria is a much more exceptional girl than I thought. She actually subconsciously carried my barrier with her.

I had only cast the barrier on my back... its easier to keep it up that way, but...

But Maria has pulled it with her. That is an exceptional deed. I didn´t think she´d have mana already back again in her small body. She is a natural talent in terms of magic.

I would like to know how far Maria´s power will extend...

No, no what am I even thinking. I cannot leave matters as they are now.

I don´t know how, but to have mana already back in her body after I transferred all her mana into me...

This is definitely not healthy.

Hmm, as I thought. Not easy to deal with a Schaden.. He´s still well. And it seems as if he´s a high ranked one.

This could end bad, I better hurry.

“Maria! Stay behind me and do exactly what I order you.”

I appear in front of Maria and her unconscious mom.

“No, I will not allow you bastard to interfere here! Step aside Ezakiel or i´ll kill you with them!”

This impudent fox. The landlord pulls a sword and runs at me and Maria. His sword begins to shine in a bright light and emits a chilling aura.

It´s the divine barrier, a very strong enchantment for weapons and shields.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

While it´s original purpose only lied in defense, the divine barrier is also very suited to sturdy a sword or other weapons. With it, stones will be cut as butter.

“HA!”

But I already had enough. I think I can spare a little concentration. I extend my hand, my palm area directed at the landlord.

He arrives with a desperate shout and try´s to hit.

~Boom~

The landlord felt the same fate as the assassin, as a strong wind bursts from my palm and catapults him into the wall.

And with a metallic sound his sword falls to the ground. A puddle of blood gushes from the hole in the wall.

The landlord is no longer a threat.

But no time for me to relax, the Assassin meanwhile managed to clear his thoughts, of what has happened to him.

And as his nature allows him, he turns ghostly. With a few steps he entered the ground and walks beneath us.

I hate Schadens! Those damn ghosts.

“Maria, how is Arla doing? Try to wake her up. We need to escape from here.”

Before the Schaden shows his true color's, I need to finish this.

Fighting a Schaden is really a disadvantage for us. They can just walk through solid materials and attack from wherever...

I grab my staff and ram it in the ground.

With a loud crack, the ground shakes and a blinding light appears from beneath.

I open a fissure and the cracks emit the light.

“Maria, take this stone...”

I get interrupted. The Schaden suddenly reacted to my light magic.

I feel how a hand tightens around my ankle.

That bastard, he want´s to pull me down.

“Maria! Get out of here, I will take care of him. Use this on your mother!”

I hit the ground with my staff, but it´s only effect is an even tighter grip around my ankle.

Whilst I yell at Maria and try to free myself, a blue glimmering stone, the seize of a walnut, leaves my sleeve and falls into Maria´s hand.

“How, how do I use it?”

I hear Maria yelling at me, but my light magic also blinded me. I can only guess from where she calls me.

“You just need to touch your mother with it. The rest will happen automatically.”

The stone was originally meant to be a training present for one of my disciples, but its effect will come in handy here as well.

As a blue colored explosion of light fills the room, I know that Maria was successful.

The blue stone is called Levitation stone. Its a special stone infused with the natures mana of the moon and can only be found in the deeper regions of the demi-human lands. I had luck and a grateful adventurer gifted me the stone.

With a ~swoosh~ Arla and Maria were lifted up into the air and with an immense speed they get carried outwards.

The stone has three very useful abilities, the first is to let everything levitate that touches it, on the command of the owner.

The second one, is to vanish into a blue stream of light and energy. This can be used for many ways. For example confusing an enemy or infusing a weapon with moon mana.

The third power, is the finest. It actually allows the people who touched it, to travel with the levitation spell a hundred meters. Sadly afterwards the stone will crumble and lose its mana...

Now that I ascertain, that nor Maria or Arla are in sight, it is time for me to get a little serious as well.

“Schaden I am a courteous man, I give you a last chance. Be gone otherwise you will have to deal with more than being exorcised!”

I really am at my limit, this imbecile still claws at my ankle and pulls me further into the ground.

“Hehe, threaten me all you want. In front of me, you are just as much of an old man as you look like. Haha”

Ok that´s it...

“I warned you...”

I smash my hands in each other and immediately summon a strong gale.

The room´s air is circling and I am its center. I just released a tiny bit of my magic pressure.

But the room already has become the eye of a tornado. The walls shake and the ground vibrates.

A huge sum of pebbles is bouncing up and down. The air around me has become as sharp as knives.

“הו רוח אתה אכלת ללמוד לכם פחד לעזאזל"

I have not even finished my words, but I can feel how the Schaden beneath me already panics.

I guess he has discovered that not every dog that barks is as harmless as he thinks.

“Mercy?!! Pleasaaaahhhhhsee~”

A heavy burst of pressure rushes from my body into the ground. And with the reaction of a loud and desperate scream of agony, I purify the evil spirit beneath me. The Schaden´s existence has been wiped from this world.

I just conjured a middle class purification magic. It´s not even a task, worth mentioning for me, but with the burden of Maria´s black mana inside me, I could have caused a calamity for me if even one ounce of my concentration had slipped.

The spell I conjured doesn't have a name, I created it myself on one of my journeys back when I was a soldier...

It may be classified as a middle class light magic, That's because it has only one use, to purify Schadens and other unworldly beings. But even a high priest would have his troubles casting it with my ease.

I retract my magic pressure again and the air cools down. The room is settled in peace again.

I walk towards the hole in the wall, where the landlord impacted.

Inside I find a gory view. The landlord is all beat up and his body shows some of it´s parts wielding in strange and unhealthy directions.

“Well I guess you can count your self lucky, if not for your unconsciousness I would have killed you before...”

I turn and walk outside the room. On my way back I snap my fingers and my staff obediently flies over.

In the hall I see how Maria hugs her mother and Arla holding her head. She seems to have gotten quite the hit. But I don´t think I have to use my healing magic for her. At least she´s awake again.

“Master Ezakiel, ouh.. I am so sorry. I am still in your debt and yet I made you helping me again. How can I ever atone for my faults?”

“Tsk, oh child. Don´t be so silly. There is nothing to break your thoughts off. How could I refuse to help such young and beautiful women, when they are already so badly in need of help."

The truth is I just got soft while looking at Marias naive and innocent face. How could I possibly bear the guilt of not saving them...

Women are witches... all of them, but their cooking skills are great.

I subconsciously grope my chest-pocket and....

“AHHH!”

With a shock and an immediate turn, Arla and Maria look at me with ghostly white faces.

“Master! What is it?”

Maria´s voice brought me back to reality.

“Noth...nothing. I am alright my dear.”

As if... are you serious. My precious bag of cookies, they vaporized within the tornado before...

Ohh silly me, how could I be so careless. Now they are gone... ~griatch~ ( sound of grinding teeth in regret and anger)

“Ok, than its good. You really helped us today. You are a nice guy master”

Yeah, yeah am I not nice?, Sacrificing my precious... you better be grateful small one.

“Well its time that I will be on my way. A last advice, I would recommend, Maria to visit a spirit nurturing hot spring every month at least once. It will help you building up your body again and restraining the dark mana. And in 3-4 years your dark mana should have calmed. With that however you will also loose the ability to use magic.”

Ahh truly a shame, this girl has so much potential. How happy would I be to see her fully grown powers.

“You don´t need to worry, great master. I will assure she will attend to the spirit nurturing hot spring. And for magic, well I don´t really see any use for her to be eventually trained in magic. It would only lead her to attend in a war as a mere pawn.”

A wise decision, Arla is a really smart women. If not for her silly husband I wonder if she would have been a fitting ally...

I smile a bit inwardly and feel a soothing warmth. This kind of feeling... hmm when was the last time I felt real joy...

Hahaha, could it be that those two just gave me back some of my youth...

“Well then, you better hurry too. It will be not to your good, if the landlord catches you. I wish you the best luck.”

“You as well, take care on your journey Master Ezakiel.”

A last broad smile dug its way into my heart. Maria runs towards me and hugs me a farewell hug.

I reply and pat her head. Afterwards I turn and with a slow and cooling breeze, I disappear into a small gust of wind.

One of my favorite tricks. Hehe.

My body emerges with the wind and I can travel where ever I want. But its just for a short distance.

However the impressions I leave on the people seeing me disappearing like that, It must be mystifying.

A few moments later and I already reappear on the main road, leading me towards my final goal. My monastery. Normally I feel a little relieved to end my yearly journey, but this time there is another feeling replacing it.

Is this, solitude? Haha.

I catch myself feeling lonely... If it were those two? This silly girl.

I don´t even had much contact with her.

I guess I will not forget them that fast.

Well my way is still quite long.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Author feeds on comments